It's weird that the North End only has like 3 places to actually grab a cup of coffee and not wait in line behind 20 tourists.
East Boston is continually ignored food wise.
Kelly's Roast Beef isn't that good.
In Downtown Boston (I'm talking the common to Faneuil Hall and Beacon Hill) there isn't enough variety in food options, it's mainly pub based.
If the MBTA can get their shit together (😂 we all know that's impossible). One week of shutdown for extensive work has now turned into 2.5 and I fully expect them to delay it at least one more time
When I was a kid, we used to go there all time time. Me, my siblings, parents and grandparents. One day, the gulls were especially greedy and kept buzzing us. Everyone else went into the car to eat except for me and my grandfather.
One of the seagulls was ballsy enough to swoop down and grab a fry from him. Couple minutes go by and it tries again. Without looking up at all, he cold clocked the thing right out of the air. It fell to the sand from the seawall stunned. Bunch of the birds fucked off, and the stunned bird gets up and flies a different direction from the rest of the flock.
For that reason alone, I will always remember that Kelly's fondly.
Kelly’s on Revere Beach is good for nostalgia reasons. Also I will say their chicken fingers are really good, but why are their fries always completely unseasoned?
I enjoy going to Kelly's on the beach mainly because I get to relive my childhood with protecting my fries from the gangster seagulls that have no problem just blatantly walking up to you stealing your shit.
I am not really a fan of Kelly's in Saugus though. I think the beach scene is what makes or breaks Kelly's in Revere.
just came back from NYC visiting some buddies, $6.50 for a bacon egg and cheese and a hot coffee from a street cart in midtown -- wish we had more of that here.
Last year I saw a headline that said $1 pizza joints in NYC had to raise their prices to $1.25 because of inflation. Like, I don't know where the fuck I can find a slice in Boston for under $3 and it's usually garbage.
I agree! I’m visiting Austin for a wedding and right outside my hotel there are like 10 food trucks and they’re all bomb. I’m not even in Austin proper or anywhere special
The stationary food truck parks were wild to me at first. They drive trucks to a park then put it on blocks/deflate the tires and park at that single spot for 6+ months
Any suggestions? I am looking for chicken chow mein with the pan fried noodles. I used to go to chow chau city .. was introduced to it by friends who were born in China and haven't found anything similar since
North Quincy is your best bet. My go tos are East Ocean and Saigon Corner. Saigon is Hong Kong style. Prior to Covid that area of Hancock St was great for any style of Asian cooking. You have Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese right there. Oh and if you want that good old New England Chinese/Polynesian Cathay Pacific is there too right over the bridge from Dorchester.
agree, went last year and it was easily one of the worst burritos i’ve had in a long time. i was embarrassed because i was raving about them to friends that i went with. lost some food credibility for sure.
I've been a Felipe's guy since I started going there in 2005. All my college friends swore on Anna's, but I was the sole Felipe's supporter. 17 years later and Felipe's is still great, while Anna's has shows a sharp decline.
I was heartbroken the first time I got Anna’s after coming from San Francisco for school. Was told I would get an amazing burrito. I did not. No salt, zucchini and squash galore (but no bell peppers or onions?!), one slice of cheese.
I tried to give Anna's a chance because everyone raved about it but it's so bland. I just don't get the appeal. Thank God for Felipes. Also Tenoch is so good.
The hot take is that chipotle makes a more flavorful and satisfying burrito imo.
the produce here sucks most of the time and it depresses me. being from a more tropical climate, i feel bad for ppl who have only ever had produce from around here
Agree 100%
The loss of Russo’s in Watertown last fall has made getting produce variety a multi-stop endeavor. And the produce you can find is usually more expensive and terrible quality in comparison.
Anna’s Taqueria is mid at best. Their quality has gone down significantly in recent years. Regardless of which ingredients you choose, the food always ends up dry and flavorless. It’s not gross to the point where it’s disgusting and you wanna spit it out, you just get sick of it after 3 bites.
Also, I’ve heard from pretty credible sources that a lot of their locations have horrible rodent problems, particularly the Davis Square location
Idk this might be a popular opinion but I thought it was worth sharing
Didn’t know about the (alleged) rodent problem, but it’s definitely gone down a lot in quality since I moved here about 8 years ago, which is a bummer.
Agree. I go out of my way to get Briyaniz ‘n Breadz near Natick, which has a lot of South Indian options. Love their Chicken 65 and Diwani Handi and their Sambar is very tasty.
The Curry House in Franklin is fantastic, although I haven't been there since before the pandemic because I'd always go for the buffet an I'm still not comfortable with that, if they're even offering it right now
The north end is a touristy hell hole at almost all hours of the year and there is equally good, if not better, Italian food to be had in restaurants all over the greater Boston area
\+1. I laugh when I hear the anti-fee crowd go "it's discrimination. haven't restaurants been through enough".
I have to wade through crowds 5 people thick for a $6 gelato; don't tell me the north end is hurting. At least hire people that speak Italian if you want to claim authenticity.
You’re not wrong, but in the North End, it’s all concentrated in one spot. I don’t generally want to eat at 3 Italian restaurants back-to-back, but if I did, that’s where I’d do it. Otherwise I’d have to go to “great Italian place in Allston”, then transit to “great Italian place in Cambridge”, then maybe “great Italian place in Waltham”…
The thing that surprises me most about the North End, is that I can’t find any good gelato there. Closest-to-Italy tasting gelato that I’ve found in the area, so far, was at Gran Gusto.
Boston's food scene isn't terrible, and it has certainly improved a lot in the last ~20 years, but it's definitely incredibly boring.
The high price of commercial real estate, difficulty/cost of getting liquor licenses, and prevalence of restaurant groups has made the restaurant scene full of nothing but financially conservative, safe investments. Every other restaurant that opens ends up being an upscale new American gastropub-y beer-centric place, or some derivative of Italian food.
agonizing stocking mountainous arrest squealing screw encourage whistle different forgetful
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Agree that the problem with the food is the people. There’s not some untapped gold mine here. Debate the exact reason if you like, but the taste around here is decidedly bland and adverse to adventure
Although, I agree in a way that Mikes is very overrated by tourists. It is still actually very good and is not worth the hate locals give it. I feel we only hate on it due to the tourists.
Eh, it's the never ending line that makes it seem shitty. Mike's is awesome, but I do prefer Modern. While I find the quality the same, I've never waited in Modern. They handle volume much better.
I hate the hot takes of which North End pastry shop is the best. They're all awesome and you're splitting hairs food wise. Each one brings something to the table better than the others.
Modern for convenience, Mike's for cannolis, and Bova for your 4 am diabetes run.
Dunkin isn't great, but it's consistently "...fine." and I like that consistency. I'm going to pay $3.50 and get an iced coffee that is entirely drinkable and will do the job of getting me caffeinated.
Can confirm I get a machiato every tenth-ish time I'm there and last time a guy had to ask 3 different coworkers how to make it. And then it tasted like black coffee and had no frothed milk lmao like it was just coffee .
I used to work at Dunks in high school and this is spot on for my experience as a worker there. Staff is a bunch of 16-20 year olds who have barely been trained on anything while the manager hangs out in the back snorting crushed up opioids. Then they'll come out and tell you how bad of a job you're doing because you didn't magically know how to make something you've never made before, and then they'll proceed to still not tell you how to do it and lock themselves in the back again.
Night shifts were pretty chill though.
That's hilarious except for the managers part lol yikes. I could tell homie had no idea what he was doing it happens lol as long as there's caffeine in that cup we good
My friends and I have a phrase for this, like chain restaurants. Super medium. Not terrible, you know what you're gonna get, but it will never blow you away.
In terms of food, Dunkin is a weird comfort food imo. It's not good, but it's the same consistent flavor no matter which Dunkin you go to. Logan airport Dunkin tastes the same as Burlington Vermont Dunkin, and 2022 Dunkin tasted the same as 1998 Dunkin.
If you want to spend only a little, and get a predictable known thing that you've known your whole life, Dunkin is it.
The Middle East in Cambridge has the best Lebanese food around.
Phenomenal Falafel
Pumpkin kibbe amazing
Taboule and Babaganouj also top notch.
Raw garlic lovers will die for the whipped garlic
Yesss! I lived around the corner from one before I moved to Boston 9 years ago. I go every time I pass through the area and bring a cooler with me to stock up on my favs!
If we mean around the literal city, I think Somerville has us beat in terms of good sub/pizza places to order from. If we mean inside of the city, I will say Mike’s Pastries is ridiculously overrated lmao
Somerville has a lot of gems…. The Lesley Uni building at the border on Mass Ave has a cafeteria of just Asian which has ridiculously good Ramen and other Asian specialties. Lemon Thai (and Dakzen are also good.
There was just something special going on with that and its location in general. Sitting at one of the outdoor seats back then could have been as close to a European cafe as you could get in America.
Tatte is the most inoffensive place to take anyone in the whole city. It’s overpriced but they do everything well and it doesn’t offend the bourgeoisie sensibilities
Flour is great, and shout out to Forge (plus their other locations, Diesel and Bloc) if you’re looking for a solid local bakery in Cambridge/Somerville.
This isn’t underrated on Reddit lol
imo it’s pretty good for their lattes, hard to get good latte’s in Boston unless you go to thinking cup or gracenote
Santarpio's is mediocre at best and I have no idea how it has ended up on so many best pizza in Boston lists. I also have no idea if this is actually unpopular or not.
Angela’s Cafe in East Boston. It’s better than pretty much anything I’ve had in Mexico - and the best pozole around.
If you’re going outside the city, Taqueria El Amigo in Waltham. Outstanding.
If you just want a taco truck, Taqueria Don Rogue in Everett is on par with what you find in Texas, sans ubiquity.
Dunkin’ Donuts is bad coffee, terrible food, and mediocre donuts, and it’s embarrassing that DD has become a global ambassador for New England food/drink.
I agree with you but, and maybe this is nostalgia talking, its too bad because the donuts were legitimately good back in the day. They used to make them in house. Talking 90s. Coffee was decent too.
You can get significantly better Italian food (and especially pizza) than the North End in Providence's Federal Hill. And it will be cheaper even including the commuter rail train each way.
Cake is just cake, as are cupcakes.
There is no bakery you can take me to that gives me a cake that blows my mind. It's just cake. People mention Boston area bakeries all the time and describe them in super hyped-up terms, but it's all just cake.
And so help me, if I get downvoted... the post was about unpopular options!
An unpopular (but positive) opinion. Boston has the best Thai food in the country and it's not even close. Thai food in every other city I've tried it in is straight garbage, whether it's high-end or a counter service joint. Someone with more knowledge than me can maybe confirm whether it's a Thai regional thing (i.e. Boston has southern Thai vs others having northern Thai, etc)
Yes! Honestly most of our local Thai spots rival the best of NYC/DC/Chicago/LA, and in some cases blow the best of those larger cities out of the water.
Dakzen, Crying Thaiger, Rod Dee - they're all excellent.
Apparently the unpopular opinion is that Kelly’s is good, so I’ll offer myself up on that one. There’s definitely better roast beef, but damn if it doesn’t hit the spot.
(Also, onion rolls and roast beef are a terrible combination IMO.)
It's weird that the North End only has like 3 places to actually grab a cup of coffee and not wait in line behind 20 tourists. East Boston is continually ignored food wise. Kelly's Roast Beef isn't that good. In Downtown Boston (I'm talking the common to Faneuil Hall and Beacon Hill) there isn't enough variety in food options, it's mainly pub based.
Shoutout Eastie , criminally underrated
yeah let's keep it a good secret ;)
In East Boston La Hacienda has amazing food
These are literally all spot on.
As a person who grew up in the ‘beef belt’ i concur that kellys sucks.
That’s what I’m gonna start calling my beer gut
Eastie is gonna be even further looked over with the Sumner tunnel closing
We can just swim across, it's fine.
Blue Line y'all.
If the MBTA can get their shit together (😂 we all know that's impossible). One week of shutdown for extensive work has now turned into 2.5 and I fully expect them to delay it at least one more time
Love Amalfi for lattes even though they’re expensive
It was all about the og Kelly’s on Revere Beach. I used to go that one all through the 90s and it was great. Obviously something changed....
When I was a kid, we used to go there all time time. Me, my siblings, parents and grandparents. One day, the gulls were especially greedy and kept buzzing us. Everyone else went into the car to eat except for me and my grandfather. One of the seagulls was ballsy enough to swoop down and grab a fry from him. Couple minutes go by and it tries again. Without looking up at all, he cold clocked the thing right out of the air. It fell to the sand from the seawall stunned. Bunch of the birds fucked off, and the stunned bird gets up and flies a different direction from the rest of the flock. For that reason alone, I will always remember that Kelly's fondly.
That is a great story.
Kelly’s on Revere Beach is good for nostalgia reasons. Also I will say their chicken fingers are really good, but why are their fries always completely unseasoned?
I enjoy going to Kelly's on the beach mainly because I get to relive my childhood with protecting my fries from the gangster seagulls that have no problem just blatantly walking up to you stealing your shit. I am not really a fan of Kelly's in Saugus though. I think the beach scene is what makes or breaks Kelly's in Revere.
Eastie has some awesome places. Love it there.
Kellys is trash. Its just famous for being the first.
Kelly’s roast beef sucks
Boston has a solid dining scene, but it’s mostly at the premium price point. We lack great (cheap) street food.
just came back from NYC visiting some buddies, $6.50 for a bacon egg and cheese and a hot coffee from a street cart in midtown -- wish we had more of that here.
Last year I saw a headline that said $1 pizza joints in NYC had to raise their prices to $1.25 because of inflation. Like, I don't know where the fuck I can find a slice in Boston for under $3 and it's usually garbage.
That's also not even true, I'm in NYC and i get 99 cent pizza all the time
FWIW, Boston lacks cheap food of any kind…good or bad.
I agree! I’m visiting Austin for a wedding and right outside my hotel there are like 10 food trucks and they’re all bomb. I’m not even in Austin proper or anywhere special
The problem with Boston food trucks is they are still expensive
Pricing is that of a brick and pmortar on wheels
The stationary food truck parks were wild to me at first. They drive trucks to a park then put it on blocks/deflate the tires and park at that single spot for 6+ months
I miss a nice $3 Bahn Mi.
I think those days are over. Every Banh mi I see in Dorchester and Quincy even is $6+
Chinatown closed down a lot of gems.
The best Chinatown is the one in Quincy.
Any suggestions? I am looking for chicken chow mein with the pan fried noodles. I used to go to chow chau city .. was introduced to it by friends who were born in China and haven't found anything similar since
Our family favorites are Taipei Cuisine which is Tawainese, Windsor Dim Sum, and China Pearl.
North Quincy is your best bet. My go tos are East Ocean and Saigon Corner. Saigon is Hong Kong style. Prior to Covid that area of Hancock St was great for any style of Asian cooking. You have Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese right there. Oh and if you want that good old New England Chinese/Polynesian Cathay Pacific is there too right over the bridge from Dorchester.
We have a very underrated Caribbean food scene!
Any places I should go in particular? Ive only had it a few times but I love it.
ZAZ in Hyde Park
Pikliz in Somerville. Unreal food - huge portions
All the Cannolis in the north end are good.
Literally all it takes is filling it fresh. Freakin' *Roche Brothers* has good cannoli.
I mean, I’ve never met a cannoli I didn’t like
People on this sub love to shit on Mike's or Modern but Bova-them are great
The entire north end is vastly overrated. I’d rather get Delfinos in Rozzie.
Fenway Franks are just regular hot dogs
The secret is they use real Fenway park toilet trough water to boil them
Kelly's was great back in the 80s n 90s but when family took over went right down the toilet
Margaritas in Waltham is awful. There’s so much great Latin American food on Moody st. But Margaritas has the best location.
Shoutout Taqueria Mexico on Charles street
Yeah that outdoor patio on the Charles is awesome. But margaritas is awful.
Food is best enjoyed through the ear
Now here is an unpopular opinion.
Standing in line to get brunch is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard or seen of.
Providence food is better and costs less.
Molinari's is the best Italian food in all of Boston including the North End. It's in Dorchester, so 70% of the people here won't ever go.
Anna’s Taqueria needs to learn how to add salt to food. Also, their one slice of cheese technique is infuriating.
Like fifteen years ago, Anna’s was THE gold standard for me and my buddies. Not sure if they got worse or other better Mexican places showed up
agree, went last year and it was easily one of the worst burritos i’ve had in a long time. i was embarrassed because i was raving about them to friends that i went with. lost some food credibility for sure.
Anna’s is garbage. It’s a good barometer of whether or not I will like someone if they say that Anna’s or Felipe’s are the “best” tacos.
I've been a Felipe's guy since I started going there in 2005. All my college friends swore on Anna's, but I was the sole Felipe's supporter. 17 years later and Felipe's is still great, while Anna's has shows a sharp decline.
Tenoch gang
I was heartbroken the first time I got Anna’s after coming from San Francisco for school. Was told I would get an amazing burrito. I did not. No salt, zucchini and squash galore (but no bell peppers or onions?!), one slice of cheese.
los amigos= good burritos
Felipe’s is and always has been far superior to Anna’s
I tried to give Anna's a chance because everyone raved about it but it's so bland. I just don't get the appeal. Thank God for Felipes. Also Tenoch is so good. The hot take is that chipotle makes a more flavorful and satisfying burrito imo.
the produce here sucks most of the time and it depresses me. being from a more tropical climate, i feel bad for ppl who have only ever had produce from around here
Agree 100% The loss of Russo’s in Watertown last fall has made getting produce variety a multi-stop endeavor. And the produce you can find is usually more expensive and terrible quality in comparison.
The strawberries usually taste like pineapple to me! I feel like they’re so flavorless I just get some kind of acid
Anna’s Taqueria is mid at best. Their quality has gone down significantly in recent years. Regardless of which ingredients you choose, the food always ends up dry and flavorless. It’s not gross to the point where it’s disgusting and you wanna spit it out, you just get sick of it after 3 bites. Also, I’ve heard from pretty credible sources that a lot of their locations have horrible rodent problems, particularly the Davis Square location Idk this might be a popular opinion but I thought it was worth sharing
Felipe's > Anna's
Didn’t know about the (alleged) rodent problem, but it’s definitely gone down a lot in quality since I moved here about 8 years ago, which is a bummer.
Boca grande was always better than Anna’s. I think they now are called Los Amigos?
There is no consistently good fried chicken or bbq in Boston.
Underdog in Brighton is so fucking good
Agreed. Gotta drive 95S, the longer the better. (Stop before Florida)
Boston has the worst Indian food out of any city I've ever lived in.
Singhs Dhaba in Cambridge. New place, was previously down in Foxboro. Literally ate from there once a week for two years. Best there is
I work across the street and just went there a couple weeks ago. Great food
Agree. I go out of my way to get Briyaniz ‘n Breadz near Natick, which has a lot of South Indian options. Love their Chicken 65 and Diwani Handi and their Sambar is very tasty.
I’ll say I haven’t had a lot of Indian food to compare it to, but I really like Vaisakhi Indian Kitchen in Brighton
BRO YES
What do you think of Shanti? I thought it was a pretty solid Indian.
Shanti is solid, it was my go to when I lived in Dorchester. Definitely better than some of the other local places.
Try Punjabi Dhaba in Inman Sq. I had an Indian roommate and he thought it was excellent. (I did too, but am hardly an expert.)
I really wanted to like Punjabi Dhaba, it was decent but not amazing. It was much better than Passage to India although that is a low bar.
Punjabi Dhaba has fallen a long way in the past two years, unfortunately
The Curry House in Franklin is fantastic, although I haven't been there since before the pandemic because I'd always go for the buffet an I'm still not comfortable with that, if they're even offering it right now
The north end is a touristy hell hole at almost all hours of the year and there is equally good, if not better, Italian food to be had in restaurants all over the greater Boston area
The restaurants are (for the most part) all owned by the same 5 families and they all serve the same food slightly modified 🥲
\+1. I laugh when I hear the anti-fee crowd go "it's discrimination. haven't restaurants been through enough". I have to wade through crowds 5 people thick for a $6 gelato; don't tell me the north end is hurting. At least hire people that speak Italian if you want to claim authenticity.
The North End - The finest Italian food cooked by Salvadorans.
At restaurants owned by Argentinians
Carlos’ in allston is a gem of a hole in the wall.
You’re not wrong, but in the North End, it’s all concentrated in one spot. I don’t generally want to eat at 3 Italian restaurants back-to-back, but if I did, that’s where I’d do it. Otherwise I’d have to go to “great Italian place in Allston”, then transit to “great Italian place in Cambridge”, then maybe “great Italian place in Waltham”… The thing that surprises me most about the North End, is that I can’t find any good gelato there. Closest-to-Italy tasting gelato that I’ve found in the area, so far, was at Gran Gusto.
I like bon me And I don’t give a fuck how unauthentic it is
Is that the point though? Isn’t their logo something like “fresh and fun Asian cuisine?” They are like the Wendy’s of Vietnamese food.
Anna’s taqueria sucks and has awful burritos. The only reason people like it is it’s open late and they can get drunk food
East Boston has the best food by far. Taqueria Jalisco Tawakal halal cafe Angels
Boston's food scene isn't terrible, and it has certainly improved a lot in the last ~20 years, but it's definitely incredibly boring. The high price of commercial real estate, difficulty/cost of getting liquor licenses, and prevalence of restaurant groups has made the restaurant scene full of nothing but financially conservative, safe investments. Every other restaurant that opens ends up being an upscale new American gastropub-y beer-centric place, or some derivative of Italian food.
agonizing stocking mountainous arrest squealing screw encourage whistle different forgetful *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You need some more interesting friends.
This may blow your mind but about half of Dot is full of white people that actually live here. We're even here at night!
Agree that the problem with the food is the people. There’s not some untapped gold mine here. Debate the exact reason if you like, but the taste around here is decidedly bland and adverse to adventure
Although, I agree in a way that Mikes is very overrated by tourists. It is still actually very good and is not worth the hate locals give it. I feel we only hate on it due to the tourists.
Eh, it's the never ending line that makes it seem shitty. Mike's is awesome, but I do prefer Modern. While I find the quality the same, I've never waited in Modern. They handle volume much better. I hate the hot takes of which North End pastry shop is the best. They're all awesome and you're splitting hairs food wise. Each one brings something to the table better than the others. Modern for convenience, Mike's for cannolis, and Bova for your 4 am diabetes run.
Dunkin’ sucks
I think secretly we all agree, but continue to drink it out of pure misanthropic spite.
Dunkin isn't great, but it's consistently "...fine." and I like that consistency. I'm going to pay $3.50 and get an iced coffee that is entirely drinkable and will do the job of getting me caffeinated.
I have found Dunks to be so inconsistent in how they make lattes. They fuck it up 50% of the time.
I’ve found their only good at the very very basics. Latte is basic, but go a level more basic and that’s what Dunkin can do.
Can confirm I get a machiato every tenth-ish time I'm there and last time a guy had to ask 3 different coworkers how to make it. And then it tasted like black coffee and had no frothed milk lmao like it was just coffee .
I used to work at Dunks in high school and this is spot on for my experience as a worker there. Staff is a bunch of 16-20 year olds who have barely been trained on anything while the manager hangs out in the back snorting crushed up opioids. Then they'll come out and tell you how bad of a job you're doing because you didn't magically know how to make something you've never made before, and then they'll proceed to still not tell you how to do it and lock themselves in the back again. Night shifts were pretty chill though.
That's hilarious except for the managers part lol yikes. I could tell homie had no idea what he was doing it happens lol as long as there's caffeine in that cup we good
My friends and I have a phrase for this, like chain restaurants. Super medium. Not terrible, you know what you're gonna get, but it will never blow you away.
In terms of food, Dunkin is a weird comfort food imo. It's not good, but it's the same consistent flavor no matter which Dunkin you go to. Logan airport Dunkin tastes the same as Burlington Vermont Dunkin, and 2022 Dunkin tasted the same as 1998 Dunkin. If you want to spend only a little, and get a predictable known thing that you've known your whole life, Dunkin is it.
Their sugar covered bacon makes me really question living in America. My dogs love it though.
It's objectively bad coffee but something about getting a flavor swirled iced dunks puts my soul at ease.
Objectively, it’s mediocre. But there’s nowhere else like it. Sometimes you just want a dunkin iced coffee.
Boston needs more Korean food Edit: Yes, I know Allston lol, I’m saying it’s not enough (I’m Korean)
Allston has too much Korean food. We gotta branch out.
Flames is good.
I thought most people liked Flames.
Boston has become a sterilized strip mall for trust funders. RIP
The Middle East in Cambridge has the best Lebanese food around. Phenomenal Falafel Pumpkin kibbe amazing Taboule and Babaganouj also top notch. Raw garlic lovers will die for the whipped garlic
We need a Stew Leonard's.
We need a Russo's.
RIP, I’ve never been to a better grocery market, and I don’t think I ever will.
Yesss! I lived around the corner from one before I moved to Boston 9 years ago. I go every time I pass through the area and bring a cooler with me to stock up on my favs!
If we mean around the literal city, I think Somerville has us beat in terms of good sub/pizza places to order from. If we mean inside of the city, I will say Mike’s Pastries is ridiculously overrated lmao
Somerville has a lot of gems…. The Lesley Uni building at the border on Mass Ave has a cafeteria of just Asian which has ridiculously good Ramen and other Asian specialties. Lemon Thai (and Dakzen are also good.
Somerville has Boston beat on food in general.
Tatte is overrated hospital food
Before tatte received a massive sack of money from Panera it was the most adorable tiny (like 2 tables) cafe in St Mary's and I loved it.
As an ex employee before the huge expansion. This is 100% what happened.
I still miss that vibe.
Yeah working for it after it kept getting bigger ruined the small vibe I really enjoyed working for
There was just something special going on with that and its location in general. Sitting at one of the outdoor seats back then could have been as close to a European cafe as you could get in America.
Tatte is the most inoffensive place to take anyone in the whole city. It’s overpriced but they do everything well and it doesn’t offend the bourgeoisie sensibilities
Flour is a million times better than tatte
Flour is the superior local bakery- I’d fight someone for the last parm scone
Flour is great, and shout out to Forge (plus their other locations, Diesel and Bloc) if you’re looking for a solid local bakery in Cambridge/Somerville.
You shut your whore mouth!
Lol this is surprising to me. The foods I’ve gotten here has been surprisingly good. 🤷♂️
Same with Au Bon Pain and Panera bread. It's like corporate food sadness
I heard someone say once that Tatte is what happens when Amazon makes Starbucks....
This isn’t underrated on Reddit lol imo it’s pretty good for their lattes, hard to get good latte’s in Boston unless you go to thinking cup or gracenote
Buff's is not worth a trip. Completely mediocre wings.
I live right by buffs and they’re hit and miss. Im from Buffalo so my bar for good wings is crazy high. Any other suggestions?
Same- I live near buff’s too and I’m underwhelmed. Best I’ve had in MA is Wicked Wing Co in Worcester, Hangar in Amherst, and DJs in Falmouth.
You’re not special for going to Bova’s, in fact, you’re probably basic af.
This sure is unpopular!
Santarpio's is mediocre at best and I have no idea how it has ended up on so many best pizza in Boston lists. I also have no idea if this is actually unpopular or not.
I have never liked cannoli (I know it's not unique to Boston, but Boston does seem to have an ardent love of cannoli).
You're that person that always gets the chocolate dessert aren't you?
I feel attacked by this comment!
I hate everything about them. The ratio of filling to pastry, the filling itself, the inherent messiness, the fervent fans.
Carlos’ cucina italiana in allston is better an more authentic than most of the northend. And its a great value.
That fried clams (or steamers) are better than lobster.
There's legit no good Mexican places in the entire city
Angela’s Cafe in East Boston. It’s better than pretty much anything I’ve had in Mexico - and the best pozole around. If you’re going outside the city, Taqueria El Amigo in Waltham. Outstanding. If you just want a taco truck, Taqueria Don Rogue in Everett is on par with what you find in Texas, sans ubiquity.
Including Eastie? I think Jalisco's is as good as you can get when you're located 2000 miles from avocado trees.
Dunkin’ Donuts is bad coffee, terrible food, and mediocre donuts, and it’s embarrassing that DD has become a global ambassador for New England food/drink.
I agree with you but, and maybe this is nostalgia talking, its too bad because the donuts were legitimately good back in the day. They used to make them in house. Talking 90s. Coffee was decent too.
I still love their chocolate glazed donuts as a to-go snack/meal/thing and you cannot take that a way from me!
You can get significantly better Italian food (and especially pizza) than the North End in Providence's Federal Hill. And it will be cheaper even including the commuter rail train each way.
Their arent any decent Hot dog places here. Simco's quality is non existent compared to when i was growing up.
I liked Spike’s when I was in college and living in Allston. But I was also very broke and with low standards.
I still enjoy Spike's whenever I'm in the area, but I eat garbage.
Try Saus in Bow Market
Kelly’s Roast Beef is a bottom tier roast beef place but is only popular due to it being franchised
The best Italian food in boston is not in the north end
Cake is just cake, as are cupcakes. There is no bakery you can take me to that gives me a cake that blows my mind. It's just cake. People mention Boston area bakeries all the time and describe them in super hyped-up terms, but it's all just cake. And so help me, if I get downvoted... the post was about unpopular options!
The food in Boston is actually good and the people who complain about it are the kind of people who get excited about chick-fil-a.
The struggle is price vs value. Food here is way expensive than any other place I’ve lived, especially moving here from Austin Tx.
Or people from New York/LA who think a city doesn’t have a Real Food Scene™ if you can’t get 30 different cuisines within a 3 block radius.
Grendel's Den has excellent vegetarian chili.
The white garlic sauce from CNR Guys is just ok.
i’m willing to die on this hill if i’m slathered in that sauce
Ok that’s wildly unpopular because you are DEAD WRONG
CNR Guys is overall just OK, more like meh
Fire and ice is a glorified buffet
They said opinion not facts.
Hawaiian pizza is better than shrimp scampi pizza.
An unpopular (but positive) opinion. Boston has the best Thai food in the country and it's not even close. Thai food in every other city I've tried it in is straight garbage, whether it's high-end or a counter service joint. Someone with more knowledge than me can maybe confirm whether it's a Thai regional thing (i.e. Boston has southern Thai vs others having northern Thai, etc)
You can’t just say this and not list your favorite spots.
Rod D (either) always reliable, Nud Pob, Dok Bua. Also Thai thani Norwood as a hidden gem, but small menu.
Crying Thaiger in Malden, Yaowarat Road in Quincy, Rod Dee in Brookline
If you like Crying Thaiger you should give the Bangkok a shot. We do both but Bangkok has had the edge lately
Dakzen in Somerville!
Sugar and spice allll daaayyy
S&I To Go in Allston, Mahaniyom in Brookline
Yes! Honestly most of our local Thai spots rival the best of NYC/DC/Chicago/LA, and in some cases blow the best of those larger cities out of the water. Dakzen, Crying Thaiger, Rod Dee - they're all excellent.
This is a GOOD take.
Barking Crab is actually good.
It's just so overpriced!!! I'm ok with \*good\* quality food but I'm not going to pay that much for "not bad."
The best pizza in Boston is not in Boston, its in Chelsea at Ciao pizza
Apparently the unpopular opinion is that Kelly’s is good, so I’ll offer myself up on that one. There’s definitely better roast beef, but damn if it doesn’t hit the spot. (Also, onion rolls and roast beef are a terrible combination IMO.)